stage. Sahagún - Burgo Ranero
The first stage of the Way of Saint James in the province of Leon commences in the town of Sahagun. Pilgrims come from Carrión de los Condes, in the province of Palencia, and arrive at the town from Alto del Carrasco.
Further on, you pass by the hermitage of the Virgen del Puente on the right, the first sanctuary on the Leonese stretch of the Way of Saint James, and cross the Barrio de San Martín towards the town centre. Close to the Puente de Canto, a bridge over the river Cea, where you can see a sign indicating that you are leaving Sahagun, you can see the old church of La Peregrina, which was a Franciscan monastery founded in 1527. To the right, you can see a poplar grove called the Prado de las Lanzas de Carlomagno and soon after you come to the Nacional 120, a road that takes you to Calzada del Coto.
Here you can choose one route or another:
- Follow the road to the road along the old Vía Trajana, crossing the Palencia-La Coruña railway line and rest for a while at the Fuente del Peregrino (Fountain of the Pilgrim) one kilometre before reaching Calzadilla de los Hermanillos, the only village on this section This route takes you to the crossing on the road to El Burgo Ranero.
- Take the unpaved track that starts at the entrance to the village, which runs parallel to the Real Camino Francés.
This route is an easy one, passing through forested areas with rest areas and benches for pilgrims, with the added advantage of being closed to traffic. You cross the outskirts of the Lagunas del Hito near the hermitage of the Virgen del Peral and one kilometre further on, you enter Bercianos del Real Camino. When you leave the village, take the forested trail and 7.5 kilometres later, you arrive at El Burgo Ranero.
km after we reach El Burgo Ranero.
LENGTH OF STAGE
18 Kilometres
TOWNS/VILLAGES ON THIS STAGE
Calzada del Coto
The village is 5 kilometres away from Sahagun, has 260 inhabitants and appears under its present name in documents of the 10th century. The hermitage of San Roque, at the entrance to the village, and the parish church of San Esteban are the religious landmarks of Calzada del Coto.
Calzadilla de los Hermanillos
The name of this town recalls other times, like Millón Bravo Lozano describes in his Guía Práctica del Peregrino (A Practical Guide for Pilgrims, in the English version): the “Hermanillos” are younger monks established in the Abbey of Sahagún, positioned in an intermediate station of the Camino –named “calzadilla”- to wait for pilgrims.
Bercianos del Real Camino
A little over 10 kilometres from Sahagún, pilgrims who took the unpaved track parallel to the Real Camino Francés will come to Bercianos del Real Camino, a small village of just over 280 inhabitants, whose name refers to the re-population of the area with people from the Bierzo Region.
Special mention is made of Las Graneros in all the maps of the Way. To get there, leave the route at a crossroads about 2 kilometres outside Bercianos.
The parish church of Salvador contains a Renaissance sculpture of St. John the Baptist and the tomb of Leonor de Quiñones, Lady of Bercianos.
Sahagún
The town of Sahagun is not only one of the most famous stop off points in the Way of Saint James through Leon, but is also important historical and architectural centre of the province.
With a population of 2,600 inhabitants and nestling on the banks of the river Cea, it owes its name to the martyrs San Facundo and San Primitivo, to whom the monastery built in the 9th century was dedicated. Centuries of destruction, rebuilding and the Disentailment of the 18th century have left little trace of the original building.
The buildings that can be seen on your way through Sahagún are as follows
- Hermitage of the Virgen del Puente.
- Churches of the Trinity and San Juan
- Church of Santo Tirso, a brick-built church of the 12th century, with a tower above the Great Chapel.
- Mudejar church of San Lorenzo and the chapel of Jesus, with bas-reliefs by Juan de Juni.
- Church of the Trinity
- Baroque arch of San Benito
- Museum of the Madres Benedictinas, with gold work, religious painting, the remains of Alfonso VI and two valuable works of art much appreciated in the province: the processional monstrance and the image of La Peregrina (The Pilgrim).
HOSTEL OF PEREGRINOS VIATORIS
HOSTEL OF CALZADA DEL COTO (FRENCH WAY)
HOSTEL OF CALZADILLA DE LOS HERMANILLOS
HOSTEL BERCIANOS (FRENCH WAY)
HOSTEL OF BURGO RANERO, DOMENICO LAFFI
- Address: Iglesia de la Trinidad
- Where: Sahagún
- Tel. +34 987 780 001 (Sahagún Town Hall)
- Owner: Municipal
If the hostel is closed, there is a tourist office nearby (+34 987 782 117).
Beds for 100 persons, 64 in bunks and 36 mattresses on the floor
Room for people who snore and service for disabled persons
No reservations Open from 10:00 to 22:00 (leaving the hostel after closing time is not permitted).
Only for pilgrims with stamped accreditation.
- Where: Calzada del Coto
- +34 987 78 12 33 (preferably Wednesday morning and Thursday evening)
- Owner: Municipal
If the hostel is closed, ask in the village for the person with the key.
- Where: Calzadilla de los Hermanillos (Burgo Ranero)
- +34 987 330 023 - +34 987 330 047 (Town Hall of Burgo Ranero)
- E-mail: silviatecnico@hotmail.com
- Owner: Municipal
- Where: Bercianos del Real Camino
- +34 987 78 40 08
- Owner: Asociación del Camino de Santiago de León
The person responsible for the hostel is called Tina. She lives next to the hostel.
Volunteers help out at the hostel in summer
This hostel is very hospitable.
- Where: El Burgo Ranero
- +34 987 330 023 - +34 987 330 047 (Town Hall of El Burgo Ranero)
- Owner: Asociación del Camino de Santiago de León
If closed, call the Town Hall or ask someone in the village.